Beaver

2. Eagle Section

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DifficultyV
Length0.63 mi
Avg Gradientn/a
Reach Info Last UpdatedApril 7, 2021

River Description

River guide video

  Very steep and technical, with one narrow waterfall after another.

The toughest of the three Beaver sections, this short section has big, narrow slides. It's way photogenic. Releases on weekends in September.

Hazard Warning at Eagle Putin!

FLOW paddler Steve Benedict found the following:

'I had to stop at Eagle to see what punctured my boat last week.

'FYI at the base of the entry slide (the slide, next to the dam, which most paddlers use to put in) is an eddy...as you peel out of the eddy, the pourover in the center of the stream is formed by two pieces of angle-iron and the planks they hold in a sort of dam. They stick up maybe a foot above the planks, are not visible at runnable flows, and can do a number on your boat...and possibly other body parts. On the other hand they are easily missed by staying to the right.'

Click here to see photos of the hazard.

Also see the Taylorville Section (Class III), which also runs on weekends in September, the Moshier Section (Class IV-V), which releases on one day of Labor Day weekend, and the Raquette River, Stone Valley Section, which shares some of the Beaver release weekends--as well as having some Summer releases of its own.

Posted by Chris Koll:

The releases are a product of negotiations by American Whitewater that resulted in a series of 11 whitewater releases during a typical year spread over three challenging sections of Beaver River whitewater. The sections are d

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River Features

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Distance: 0.63 mi
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David Su
David Su

Sep 3, 2011


But that drop only needs a playboat: Eagle Falls, Beaver R, Sep.2011.

RS
Robert S. Farmer

Mar 21, 2011


I'm surprised that there are no comments here, so I'll just say that this is an amazing amusement park ride (475 fpm for 1/2 mile), and, while it's not quite as safe as Disneyland, for the Class 5 boater, this provides an unusually good thrill-to-risk ratio, at normal levels. Unfortunately the photo on the main page is kind of hard to figure out, so don't go just by that! Three thrilling drops (plus a high dam at high water) will redline your fun meter!

JA
John Alden

Sep 5, 2004


Jerry's face says it all!

Matt Muir
Matt Muir

Sep 1, 2002


To see the full-sized version of this photo, click here.

JB
Julie Black

Jan 1, 1900


The .15 mile section the river drops
over 300 feet. There are narrow
sluces and chutes big enough for a
boater to slide down at high velocity
before punching the nasty holes that
wait at the bottom of every drop.

CC
Chris Clark

Jan 1, 1900


Short but fun run in the Adirondack's of upstate NY.

JS
jason schlarb

Jan 1, 1900


Fun slide!

Jim Dobbins
Jim Dobbins

Jan 1, 1900


This is a photo of the bottom of the man-made slide at the top of the Eagle section. This is what it looks like when they are not releasing water. Be careful.
see the other photo

RG
Richard Grape

Jan 1, 1900


You go screaming down river left where a rock awaits you at the bottom. But just as you tense up thinking you going to slam into it. The hole at the bottom shoots you to the right. Very Cool Rapid, Very Cool indeed!

Marty Murphy demonstrates the spectacular entry into the Eagle Section of the Beaver River.